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Click on the different icons above to view enlarged versions of the Blu-Ray cover art or visit external web sites |
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The Hole, or The Hole in 3D to give the movie its theatrical release title, is the latest film from director Joe Dante, best known as the director on Gremlins. Advertised as a family movie with scares this is, somewhat surprisingly, given its poor theatrical performance the second high profile release of the week, and the only of this week’s new releases, other than Grown Ups, to be stocked by the supermarkets and High Street retail stores I checked. The imdb average score of 6 from the general public is rather low, but the critics really liked the film, as evidenced by the 86% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The film tells the tale of a single-parent family – mother Susan and her two sons: teenager Dane and younger brother Lucas – who move into a new house only to accidentally uncover an old rug in their garage which hides the hole under a locked floorboard. After some initial experiments to try and fathom how deep the dark hole is, Felix picks up one of his toys - a talking South Park doll and reels it down the hole using a long piece of rope: Dane: Do you hear anything? Even before the boys discover the hole it becomes apparent that the family are running away from something…. Susan (the mother): Please don’t take this out on Lucas, OK?
It is not his fault that we had to move. I had to do this - I could not take a chance. I am sorry about your friends.
I’m sorry about having to move – again! But I would really like this to work out. I would like you to help me make
this work, which means no more fighting, no more trouble at school. I need you to be better than the things that
you have seen. The discovery of The Hole leads to all manner of strange events, and numerous jump-scares. Scary shadowy figures, cute little girls who turn out to be evil, slightly scary puppet toys that suddenly come to life in a really malevolent way are all thrown into the mix and flawlessly presented. What the film lacks in originality, it makes up for in execution. But the film works largely because of the excellent acting, especially from the two brothers, and the overall realism of their relationships, not just with their mother but also with Julie, the girl from next door and her yappy dog Charlie. However the film is not at all suitable for young children, being much too scary for kids, and sometimes the dialog seems rather risqué even for adults… Julie (girl next door): So, you two didn’t kill each other? The Blu-ray presentation of the main film is fine, but the extra’s – just three ten minute features, one of which is just the raw interview footage used in the other two – are disappointing and are presented in scrappy-looking Standard Definition. Nevertheless The Hole is my Disc of the Week, and it’s encouraging to see the film’s distributors have sufficient faith in it to pay the premium prices required to get the title stocked in High Street stores. I recommend it, whether you have kids who like to be scared or not. |
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Copyright © 2011. Ian Smith (Irascian Ltd), London. UK. Refer to our web site at UKBluRayReview.com for more information. | |